400 bottles of wine on the plane: Federal politicians have access to limitless alcohol on government flights

The numbers come as more people are speaking up about a culture of sexual harassment and inappropriate behaviour on Parliament Hill

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau boards a government plane headed for China on Dec. 2, 2017. During the week-long official trip, more than $2,200 worth of alcohol — 121 bottles of wine and 241 cans of beer — was consumed on flights.Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press

OTTAWA — Long flights can be gruelling, but those travelling on official government planes have limitless alcohol to take the edge off.

Between December 2016 and December 2017, passengers aboard government aircraft consumed 401 bottles of wine, 584 cans of beer and five 250-millilitre bottles of vodka, at a total cost of $8,179. The numbers were provided in answer to a question from Conservative MP Dean Allison.

Alcohol is provided free of charge for officials on international government flights. According to the answer tabled in the House of Commons Tuesday, “the service of non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverages on the Airbus and 707 for official delegations on international flights has been a standard practice since the 1970s.”

Members of the media travelling on official flights pay a flat fee that covers all services, including alcohol.

During Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s week-long official trip to China last December, more than $2,200 worth of alcohol — 121 bottles of wine and 241 cans of beer — was consumed on flights. That amount translates to about two bottles of wine and four cans of beer for each of the roughly 56 passengers for the flights to and from China.

During flights to and from Vietnam for Trudeau’s official visit last November, the delegation of about 50 people drank 76 bottles of wine and 79 cans of beer, worth $1,685. When the prime minister visited Scotland in July, the beer and wine was supplemented by four 250-millilitre bottles of vodka.

But not every official flight is so boozy. When former governor general David Johnston travelled to China last July, the 40 passengers drank just 33 bottles of wine and 27 cans of beer — less than one of each per person, with a total value of $632.

The prime minister is required to fly on official government planes for security reasons. During his official trips, it’s routine for members of the media to fly with the official delegation.

Free-flowing alcohol is nothing new on these flights. According to numbers provided by Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland’s office, $13,605 worth of alcohol was consumed on official flights in 2013 and at least $12,696 was consumed in 2014, under the previous Conservative government.

When Johnston travelled to South Africa in 2013, passengers drank 348 bottles of wine, valued at $6,621. Another $5,839 worth of beer, wine and vodka were consumed during the governor general’s trip to Poland, the Netherlands and Belgium the following year.

The numbers come as more people are speaking up about a culture of sexual harassment and inappropriate behaviour on Parliament Hill, and in Canadian political circles more broadly. Alcohol played a role in recent allegations of sexual misconduct levelled against Patrick Brown, who resigned as leader of the Ontario Progressive Conservatives last week. Brown is alleged to have made advances on two women after they had been drinking, while he had not.

On Monday, Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Carolyn Bennett warned that MPs should be careful about alcohol consumption on and around Parliament Hill. “You wouldn’t have a drink before you go to a really important meeting,” she said.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include information on the amount of alcohol available on government planes in 2013 and 2014.